Make Your Move
by Nightzchild
Summary: Poor Sarah, she really should have known better, especially after what happened last time. She really should have known that the act of wishing can be a horrendously tricky business. COMPLETE
1. Tricky Business

She had found it in lying at the bottom of one of her drawers. She had been meaning to sort out all of her stuff for almost a year now and had only recently forced herself to actually follow through. The first to undergo the knife had been her stuffed toys. Taking them all down from where they had perched on her shelves for almost as long as she could remember they had been packed away into boxes. All except one. That had been left in the perhaps not so capable hands of her baby brother.

After the toys she had moved onto her wardrobe, efficiently separating all her clothes into two piles, keep and throw. Her desk had been cleared some time ago after the occurrence of a certain incident which will remain unnamed. It was therefore the books that were next to fall prey to the 'new' Sarah Williams. All of the children's books she set aside, planning on storing them away until Toby was old enough to be able to appreciate them. The rest she kept, aligning them neatly next to each other on the now clear surface.

There was one book however that was noticeably absent from her collection. A small, worn book with a red cover and gold lettering. She knew exactly where is was, along with so many other previously treasured items, but she chose to ignore the knowledge, leaving that particular spot until last.

Eventually though the drawers were the only place left to sort through. She tried to put it off but then decided that since she had done so much already it would be silly not to finish the job. Besides, Sarah Williams had never been one to back down from a challenge.

She started with the bottom drawer, thinking of working her way upwards. That was where she had found it. It had been lying under a pile of other knickknacks. Several sheets of paper that looked suspiciously like some unfinished homework, an assortment of pens, half missing their lids, a stack of old photos and a broken necklace that had leaked beads all over her floor.

Sarah had pulled it out, a dusty wooden box, and examined it carefully. She had forgotten she even had it so imagine her pleasure at having rediscovered it after so many years. Opening the lid she smiled seeing that the content was still in near perfect condition. It was a wooden chess set complete with intricately carved pieces. Abandoning her cleaning efforts Sarah had hopped to up and gone in search of her father whom she now found sitting at the kitchen table reading a newspaper, it being a Saturday.

"Morning daddy," she greeted, having not yet seen him that day. "Look what I found," she presented the box to him.

"Hello Sarah," he replied fondly. "What's that you've got there?" Robert peered over the top of his paper at what was being offered. When he realised what it was he raised an eyebrow and folded the paper into his lap. "Where did you find that?"

"In my room," Sarah shrugged, noncommittally. "I've been doing some sorting."

"So I hear," her father said dryly. "Karen tells me that you threw away nearly all of your clothes the other day."

"That's not true!" Sarah corrected hotly before reminding herself of the resolution she had made regarding her stepmother. "I mean that's a bit of an overstatement daddy," she took a calming breath. "I got rid of half at the most and that's only because they were too small for me." That was somewhat of a lie but her father didn't need to know the real reason behind her sudden urge for spring cleaning.

"Hmmm," was the response. "Well as long as you don't expect a whole new wardrobe..."

"Of course not daddy," she quickly jumped to her own defence.

"Hmmm," Robert said again in an occupied tone. He reached forward and picked a dark wooden bishop out of the box. He scrutinized it closely before thinking aloud. "I wonder if all the pieces are still here?"

"We could always set it up and see," Sarah suggested, hesitating before she continued hopefully. "Then maybe we could play a game?" her father glanced up at her and Sarah tried to hide how important his answer was to her.

When she had been younger, before her parents had separated, she and her dad had played at least one game of chess every week. Robert had used to apply to his wife for a game and she had usually complied, albeit somewhat reluctantly. When a seven year old Sarah had shown an interest in their little competition, which involved moving small wooden men across a patchwork board, Linda had suggested that Robert teach their daughter the ancient art of chess. In a single act the then Mrs Williams had managed to weasel her way of a tiresome game and Sarah and Robert had found the perfect father/daughter activity. An activity which they had continued even after Linda had left and she and Sarah's father had gotten a divorce. It was only when Karen had appeared on the scene that the tradition had been shunned. In those early days Sarah had been so angry with her dad that she had stubbornly refused to play. Robert had tried coaxing, pleading and much more but she still said no. Screamed it more like. Sarah had considered throwing the entire set away in a fit of childish rage. In the end however she hadn't had the heart and had instead thrust it viciously into her drawer, determined to forget about it, which she had. Until now.

Robert Williams' mind was following a similar track as to that of his daughter and he had yet to make any kind of response. He considered it for some time, knowing exactly what it meant to the young woman standing over him. She had grown so much, in more ways than one. "You know," he began, taking on a casual attitude, "it's been quite some time since we last played. I think one game couldn't hurt." Sarah beamed. "I'm bound to be a bit rusty though."

"Me too," Sarah agreed, taking a seat. "We can take it slow to start with," she reassured. "But after that I'm playing to win." She grinned wickedly.

Robert chuckled. "You always did sweetheart."

Sarah didn't reply. Instead she gathered up the chess pieces and placed them on the table, careful not let any roll away. She then took out the board and unfolded it, setting it firmly between them. Her father selected all of the lighter pieces and started matching them to their rightful positions. Sarah did the same with the dark pieces. She never liked going first and so always demanded that her opponent play the white side.

Everything was set up and amazingly none of the pieces were missing. Father and daughter exchanged the traditional wishes of good luck mingled with slightly veiled threats, then Robert picked up a carved wooden horse and the game began.

Fifteen minutes later and the game was still in full swing. Robert had managed to capture a number of Sarah's lower pieces, mostly pawns, while Sarah had gathered herself a rather varied collection, including her father's first knight. It was Sarah's turn and her next move took her queen halfway across the board, lining it up with a white bishop. The queen had always been Sarah's favourite piece and when used correctly Sarah had found she could wipe away nearly half the board with her queen, as long as she had the right backup.

Robert's move. Seeing the threat to his bishop he swiftly moved it out of the way by taking it a single space back and to the left. Sarah smiled triumphantly. With the bishop out of the way she could move her rook forward to take a pawn without the risk of being taken herself. The move also left a gap open that invited access to Robert's king. Her father blinked, having not seen that move coming and Sarah smirked.

"Your move," she said playfully.

Robert reached forward, about to make a move but then reconsidered and withdrew his hand. He frowned and glanced up at his daughter. "Are you sure that you haven't played this game recently?" he asked suspiciously. "You seem to play a lot better than I remember. Have you been practicing?"

"No," Sarah shook her head. "Maybe you've just lost your touch," she teased. Robert scowled. "Or not," she amended. There was a slight pause. "I think," she considered, "that maybe I've just learnt to think about what I'm doing more. I've learnt to not rush into things half blind." Her mind backtracked to a little over a year ago and another game she had played in another realm. Yes she had learnt her lesson playing for much higher stakes than she was now. She shook herself, letting the memory slide away.

"Hmmm," Robert didn't really hear his daughter's answer as he was considering his next move and not paying much attention. He reached forward again, aiming for his king when the sound of a key in the front door made him look round. Karen had just come back having taken Toby to see the doctor earlier that morning. By the sounds of it Toby was putting up a fuss and Karen called out to Robert.

"We're in here honey!" he called back turning to face the doorway. Karen appeared moments later looking flustered with a wriggling infant in her arms. "What did the doctor say?" he asked before Karen had the chance to open her mouth.

She sighed heavily. "It's just a cold apparently. Nothing serious but he said that we shouldn't expect to be getting too much sleep over the next few days." Toby's mother looked slightly haggard and Sarah was human enough to be able to feel sorry for her. She and her stepmother still didn't see eye to eye on most things but they had managed to settle themselves into an unspoken truce of sorts where Karen stopped expecting Sarah to think of her as her mother and Sarah stopped treating Karen like the evil character out of a fairy tale. It wasn't ideal but it was better than what they'd had previously.

Seeing that his wife was struggling Robert reached up and relieved her of the troublesome tot and took him into his lap. Karen sighed and smiled her thanks. "Why don't you make yourself a cup of coffee and sit down for a while?" Robert suggested. "Sarah and I will look after Toby," he looked to his daughter and she nodded amicably. "Maybe we can teach him how to play chess," he joked. Sarah smiled and Karen gratefully moved over to the kitchen counter and started boiling the kettle. "So Toby?" his father asked, bouncing him up and down on his knee, "what are we going to do with you?" He picked up one of the chess pieces and offered it to his son to inspect. Being curious by nature Toby accepted the piece and held it up to his face. He quietened for a moment and father and daughter looked at each other hopefully.

"Be careful Robert," Karen warned. "I don't want to have to take him back to the doctors because he swallowed one of your little game pieces."

"Relax Karen," Robert soothed. "He'll be fine, look he's just interested is all." All eyes turned to Toby who was fingering the small wooden figurine. Normally such an intriguing object would have entertained him for hours but today he was in no mood for it. Instead he let out an almighty wail and threw the piece away in disgust. He then flung out his arm which connected with the board and sent all the other pieces flying. "Toby!" his father reprimanded, making as if to start picking up all the fallen pieces. Sarah interrupted him.

"Don't worry daddy I've got it," she immediately went down on her knees and started searching.

"No Sarah I'll help you. Karen can you hold him for a moment?" he asked, holding the boy out to his wife once more. The woman heaved a sigh; abandoning her half made coffee and took her son back into her arms. She then turned and left the kitchen, carefully not to trip on any of the rolling chess figures. Robert started searching along with his daughter. "I'm sorry Sarah; you know Toby didn't mean it. He's not feeling well and - "

"Daddy it's ok," Sarah assured him firmly. "I know he didn't do it on purpose, it's fine." She paused. "Why don't you take Karen her coffee, I think she might need it right now."

Robert glanced at his daughter for a moment and then smiled. "You're a good girl Sarah." He stood, gently ruffling the girl's hair. He finished making his wife's cup of coffee and just as he was about to leave said: "Maybe we could play another game later, after Toby's settled down a bit?"

"Yeah maybe," Sarah smiled, watching as her father disappeared. When he had left the smile fell away. Silently she went about gathering up the miniature wooden men, most of which had fallen onto the fall and then rolled under the table. When she had picked up all those that she could find she packed them all away and went back upstairs, barricading herself in her room.

Later that evening Sarah was not in the least bit surprised to find that the offer of another game had fallen flat. Karen had spent the rest of the day resting knowing that in all likelihood she would be kept up half the night and Sarah's father had taken over looking after Toby. For a short period of time during the afternoon Sarah had relieved him but it hadn't lasted very long because the boy was in a foul temper and Sarah had trouble being patient with him. Robert told her that the effort was appreciated and then took over again. After dinner Sarah had once again retreated to her room, feeling that the only thing she could do to help the situation was to stay out of the way.

Once inside she looked around. She knew that the best thing to do would be to pick up where she left off and continue her tidying trend but she really didn't have it in her any more. Her eyes travelled over to the desk where she had unceremoniously dumped the box of chess pieces, She now walked over to it and sat down, running her hands along the grain of the wood. Sighing she opened the box and started taking out the pieces one by one and setting them up on the board. She wasn't really concentrating, her mind elsewhere, so it wasn't until she ran out of figurines that she realised there was one missing. The white king, her father's piece, the one he had handed to Toby wasn't there. She had searched every part of the kitchen and had been sure that she had found them all. Apparently not. She thought of going downstairs to look again but then decided against it, thinking it unlikely she would find it. Of course it was down there somewhere and it would turn up eventually but still...

"It's not fair," she whispered under her breath, breaking yet another promise she had made to herself not all that long ago. Now she and her father would never be able to play, not with the king missing, if they ever had the chance to play again at all.

Miserable, Sarah started to get ready for bed, having nothing better to do. She got changed, turned the light out and snuggled down under the covers. Just as she was falling asleep, her eyes getting heavy she mumbled something that she never would have dared to had she been fully awake.

"I wish," she yawned. "I wish there was _someone _who would play with me." Then she was gone.

Poor Sarah, really she should have known better, especially after what happened last time. She really should have known that the act of wishing can be a horrendously tricky business.

* * *

**Oh dear, what's Sarah gone and done now? I think we can all probably guess what's going to happen next but never mind.**

**Ok this here is my first EVER Labyrinth Fanfic and it's a bit of an experiment really, nothing too major. It was meant to be a one shot but then turned out to be longer than I thought, whoops! So please tell me what you think.**


	2. Sore Loser

When Sarah awoke the next morning she remembered nothing of the unfortunate wish she had made before falling asleep. She heaved herself out of bed after debating whether or not to perhaps stay there for the next hour or so. She stumbled slightly as she went over to check herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, although that was hardly surprising, and her eyes were heavy with sleep. She wiped at them absently before glancing around for her hair brush. Her eyes skimmed over the chess board that was still sitting atop her desk and then doubled back when she noticed something amiss. Or not amiss in fact.

Sarah blinked slowly in order to clear her head and puzzled at the sudden appearance of the white king on the board. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had not been there the night before. "Where on earth did you come from?" she asked the small wooden figure. The easiest possible explanation was that either her father or Karen had found it in the kitchen and returned it to her while she slept, although of the two she was more likely to believe the act of kindest of her father rather than her stepmother. She smiled absently as she picked the piece up to look at it more closely. It was indeed the king who had previously not been in attendance of his court. Pleased that the piece had been returned to her, no matter who had done so, she placed it back down and then reached for her dressing-gown. She felt like having a lazy day today and so went down to breakfast still dressed in her pyjamas.

Her father was sitting at the table again with Toby positioned next to him in his highchair. Karen was busy searching for something, reaching into various cupboards and coming out empty. Sarah murmured her good mornings and then slid herself into the seat that was next to Toby but one knowing that Karen would occupy that spot. She reached for a bowl that had been laid out for her and poured herself some cereal. She had just started eating when Toby decided he was finished and confirmed this decision with the act of throwing his spoon on the floor and thrusting his hands into his stodgy looking breakfast. Apparently he seemed to enjoy this because he then pulled his hands out and started giggling contently smacking his palms together and sending flecks of porridge all over the table. Karen had been about to sit down to her own breakfast when this took place and she put her plans on hold while she lifted Toby out of his seat and took him over to the sink to be cleaned up.

Sarah could hear her stepmother quietly berating her son while she rubbed at him with a wet cloth and she glanced up at the father who was smiling behind a well placed hand. Sarah nearly choked on her cereal and Robert gave her a teasing look. Karen glanced over at the two of them but was then distracted when her son pushed his still sticky hands into her face. The two seated at the table again had to smother their laughter and with a tremendous effort managed to both put on a straight face but their eyes still sparkled mischief. It put Robert in mind of similar occasions when he and his daughter had been younger and they had been silently reprimanded by a different pair of female eyes. This thought sobered him considerably but then made him think of the tradition they tried to revive only yesterday from that previous time.

"Oh Sarah," he remarked. "I never did tell you how sorry I was for not being able to carry on our game yesterday."

Sarah glanced up and smiled at her father but had to finish her mouthful before she could answer. "Don't worry about it daddy, you were busy, I understand that. Maybe another time?"

"Definitely," her father confirmed with as much certainty as he could muster. There was a slight pause and then a thought seemed to occur to him. "Did you manage to find all the pieces after our little trouble maker knocked them for six?"

Sarah thought her father was perhaps hinting at her and so followed his lead. "Not at first. Last night I was missing the white king but I have it now."

"Oh good," Robert replied, nodding his thanks to Karen as she silently placed a cup of coffee in front of him. "You found it then?" he asked, stirring two teaspoons of sugar into his morning concoction.

Sarah frowned faintly. "Erm, well not exactly, it sort of just _appeared._" Her father didn't answer her as he had raised his mug to his lips and was taking a well needed swig; instead his simply raised his eyebrows in question. "I'm not entirely sure where it came from," Sarah admitted. "I thought maybe you...?" she trailed off when her father showed no signs of recognition. "Or perhaps Karen...?" Sarah turned to her stepmother who glanced up just long enough to shake her head while trying to restrain Toby's wandering hands. Now Sarah was thoroughly confused and paused in eating her cereal. Robert glanced at her with concern but relaxed when he saw her visibly shake off whatever had been plaguing her mind. However it did seem like she was no longer in the mood to eat and so excused herself from the table and said she was going to go and have a shower.

Sarah left the kitchen and went upstairs to her bedroom to gather up all the stuff she needed. She stopped in front of the chess board which she vaguely realised that she had set up directly in front of the mirror and frowned for a moment. She started down at the white king and repeated the question she had asked of it before. "Where _did_ you come from?" She then sighed and forced herself to dismiss the entire situation while she went and took a shower.

* * *

Sarah spent a good 15-20 minutes in the shower trying not to contemplate on the reasons as to why. She finally got out when her fingers had started to prune and her feet had turned a rather unhealthy shade of red. Reaching for a towel she stepped out and wrapped it hastily around her body. She then just stood there for a while letting her mind drift. She only returned herself to the present when she realised that the heated air was becoming uncomfortably stifling. All the windows were closed and the vapour had yet to disappear completely.

She walked over to the door and placed a hand on the knob when she felt her heart freeze in her chest. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the mirror that she had walked past without a moment's notice. She now turned towards it and let out an involuntary cry. There was writing on the misted surface. Not the kind of writing that is made with a clumsy finger but instead an elegant cursive type of font, unnatural in its perfection. Sarah's back was up against the door and her hands were clutching at the towel while her blood was racing through her veins. It read:

'_Every player needs a king Sarah'_

Sarah's mind flashed to the board that was laid out on her desk as she reached for the door handle and threw the portal open, practically tripping out into the hallway. She rushed into her room and over to the set she had herself arranged the night before. With no attempt at being careful she picked out the box and swept all the pieces into it, placing the board haphazardly on top. She then dumped the entire lot into the drawer from which she had retrieved it yesterday and slammed it shut with her foot.

Trembling Sarah collapsed on her bed and curled herself into a ball, not seeming to care that she was still wrapped in a towel. For a long while she lay there, her mind trying to move in several directions at once. Finally she settled on one solid thought and she forced herself into a sitting position. Her eyes fell on the drawer that held the now almost dreaded chess set and grim line of determination settled on her face. She would _not _be beaten. She would _not _let anyone play games with her like this. She refused to acknowledge who she knewto behind this 'prank' and so instead just generalised the situation. Sarah Williams would not allow _anyone _to intimidate her and she would _not _back down. That was final.

With that in mind Sarah got dressed, brushed her hair and went downstairs thinking now would perhaps be a good time to take Merlin for a walk.

* * *

Sarah didn't return to her room for the rest of her day, finding various ways to keep herself occupied. She even volunteered to help Karen make dinner and was given the task of peeling potatoes. She played with Toby and tried to help her father with his crossword, albeit it somewhat unsuccessfully. Being a school night Sarah's bedtime came around a lot earlier than she would have wished but she bore it with a stoic expression even if she did perhaps linger a little longer to say goodnight to father and took extra care not to wake Toby when she went in to check he was tucked in properly. Finally Karen had had enough and told Sarah that while she appreciated her efforts to say goodnight she really ought to go to bed.

Sarah trudged upstairs but never once let her apprehension show. She opened the door to her room and flicked on the light. Her eyes did a quick scan and thankfully found nothing out of the ordinary. Sarah heaved a quiet sigh of relief, quickly got changed and then hopped into the bathroom to brush her teeth. There was nothing out of place in the bathroom either but she couldn't quite help the few nervous glances she cast in the direction of the mirror. Luckily, the writing seemed to have vanished; without leaving behind a single trace.

Back in the hallway Sarah noticed that her bedroom light had been turned off. Sarah knew that she had not been the one to turn it off and despite the knowledge that Karen was occasionally in the habit of doing so she couldn't help the tiny shiver that crept its way up her spine. With a cautious hand she reached in and felt for the light switch. When the light illuminated the room she could not honestly say she was completely surprised to find her chess set laid out perfectly on the table, the black pieces placed in front of her chair and the white placed in front of the mirror. Of course she jumped instinctively and her pulse began to beat faster as her eyes nervously searched the room. Yet she was not so completely surprised, on some level she had almost expected it.

Cautiously she walked her way over to her desk, her eyes drawn to the mirror rather than the game positioned as if ready for a game to begin. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. There was a small voice nagging at the back of her head and with a not so steady hand she reached out and warily brushed her fingers against the cool reflective surface. For a brief moment nothing happened, then the mirror seemed to ripple almost and Sarah hastily withdrew her hand as an italic style script appeared, as if it were being written.

'_Don't you want to play Sarah?'_

The girl didn't move, rooted to the spot. She then glanced down at the waiting chess pieces and repeated the action she had done that very morning. She scooped up the entire set and put it back into the drawer. Sarah looked to the mirror just in time to see the writing slowly fade away. With that gone she felt more confident, she lifted her chin and said quite clearly: "Not with you I don't." Of course she would never admit to whom she was speaking, instead she walked over to the light switch, turned it off and then climbed into bed, firmly closing her eyes.

Oh Sarah did you really think it would be that easy? Nothing is ever that easy, especially when it comes to playing games. Some people find it hard to lose.

* * *

**Woo! How's that for a fast update. Can't say that they're always going to be this fast because they won't, seriously don't get your hopes up. **

**My my, this really is turning into a much longer piece than I thought it would be, oh well.**

**Special thanks go out to ****CoffeeKris,****NotElven ****and ****notwritten ****for being the first to review. **


	3. First Rule of the Game

Sarah dreamed that night. She couldn't have said what she dreamed about exactly but she had the distinct feeling of being lost while searching for something important. She woke to the sound of her father's voice and a quiet knocking on her door.

"Sarah? Sarah? Time to get up sweetheart."

The girl in question groaned and rolled over pulling the covers up past her head.

"Sarah!" her father said more firmly. "Get up. I'm leaving in under an hour and if you want a lift you need to be up, dressed and ready to go otherwise you can catch the bus."

Sarah groaned again and mumbled something about the cruel and unusual punishments of parents but this time she managed to heave herself into a sitting position. "I'm up daddy," she confirmed, her words cut off by an almighty yawn.

"You better be," was her father's only warning as she heard him walking away down the hall. "If you go back to sleep Sarah I'm sending Toby in to wake you up."

Sarah grimaced and swung her legs over the side of her bed. Her younger brother was not at his best first thing in the morning and his wake up call would probably involve a considerable amount of noise and a fit of violent hair pulling. In a half dazed state Sarah went about her usual morning routine not fully waking up until the smell of food drew her down into the kitchen.

Karen produced two pieces of toast for her the second she walked through the door and asked if she'd like any eggs. Sarah politely declined and instead reached for the blackcurrant jam that had been laid out especially for her. It was small things like this that Sarah had never taken notice of before she had her rather rude awakening. Her stepmother, while tiresome and somewhat overbearing, always made sure that when it came down to things like meals Sarah had everything she wanted. When she had discovered that unlike her father Sarah favoured blackcurrant rather than raspberry jam on her toast she had personally made sure that she bought some the next time she went shopping. She had never once received any thanks for these small gestures and yet she stubbornly kept them up, perhaps in the hope that one day her stepdaughter would take notice and be grateful. Sarah had taken notice, eventually, and so now made a point of letting Karen know that when she did such things they were appreciated.

Breakfast that day, like most weekdays, was fairly quiet. Her father didn't stop to eat at the table but instead grabbed something small to go and took it into his office when he sorted out his briefcase and checked to make sure he had everything he needed. Toby was seated at the table in his high chair but wasn't eating. Karen would feed him later when she herself ate after everyone else had left.

When she finished Sarah excused herself to go back upstairs. By her calculations she had 10 minutes to spare before her ride left without her. Up in her room she sat down absently in front of her mirror. Warily she glanced down and saw the bottom drawer ever so slightly open. She reached down and pulled it open breathing a small sigh of relief when her gaze met with what she had hoped to find there. A chess set, complete and somewhat hastily packed away but still...

"Sarah!" he father called up the stairs. "I'm leaving now so you had best step to it if you think you're coming with me."

Hurriedly Sarah snatched up her bag and flew out of the door. It wasn't until she was out of the house, in the car and half way down the road until she realised that she had closed the drawer before she left.

* * *

The school day passed like most others with nothing to make it any way exceptional. Sarah went to classes, chatted with friends and ate her lunch in the same way she always did. By the time she got home she had almost managed to convince herself that everything was normal and she wasn't the current victim of an otherworldly stalker whom she refused to acknowledge, even in her own mind. She hesitated slightly when it came to dropping other her school stuff in her room but then braced herself and entered.

Everything appeared to be exactly as she had left it. Sarah relaxed visibly and smiled, she then dumped the bag she was carrying on her bed and practically skipped downstairs in order to go and find Merlin.

She spent a good part of the next hour out walking the dog around the neighbourhood and stopping off at the park where she used to play. She had always loved it here. She had memories of being brought here by her parents, memories that included warm summer days and childish laughter. Now she had newer memories to add on top of these ones, some of which were not so pleasant. After the unnamed incident that occurred last year Sarah had been coming here less often, trying to leave her juvenile fantasies behind her, or at least push them off to one side. Trying to escape the past. However, considering the current situation it seemed that perhaps she hadn't been as successful as she thought she had.

Frowning Sarah shook off the sense of melancholy and uneasiness that had sneaked up on her. "Come on Merlin," she called to the dog. "We'd best be getting home before Karen sends out a search party." Merlin barked in apparent agreement and they left together.

* * *

Not having any homework that needed immediate or urgent attention Sarah spent a lazy evening downstairs in front of the TV. Her father had locked himself away in his study which he was prone to do on a weeknight and Karen had taken Toby with her when she went to visit a friend.

Sarah whipped herself up an easy to make pasta dish and settled down to watch _Alice in Wonderland _that had been released the previous year and was now showing on one of the regular channels.

At just gone nine o'clock Karen returned with a sleeping toddler in her arms and suggested that Sarah called it a night. Feeling surprisingly tired Sarah didn't object and made her way upstairs with her stepmother close at her heels. Entering her room it took her a while before she noticed what was wrong, And there most definitely WAS something wrong. Sarah let out a startled cry and spun quickly when she heard Karen outside in the hall.

"Sarah?" the woman called, knocked before she came in. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yes," Sarah stammered, hastily stepping in front of the mirror.

Karen frowned at her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Sarah repeated, before realising that more would be needed to convince Karen to leave. "I just thought I saw a shadow in my window and it made me jump."

Still frowning Karen finally nodded, coming to the conclusion that it would probably be more trouble than it was worth to get the truth out of the girl. "Good night Sarah," said and then turned left, closing the door behind her.

"Night," Sarah muttered weakly. She then rounded sharply on her desk, glaring fiercely. The chess set had reappeared, the drawer still partially open as if no one had touched it, and there was a message glowing dimly on her mirror.

_What's said is said Sarah. Who else do you expect to play with?_

"No one," she exclaimed, without thinking how absurd the situation was; talking with a mirror. "I don't want to play with anyone." With that she scooped up the set and once about to throw it back into the drawer once more when she paused. Putting it away in the drawer hadn't changed anything; she needed to find somewhere else. Somewhere where it wouldn't be found.

Quietly Sarah left her room and slipped into the bedroom her father and stepmother shared with Toby. Trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to wake the sleeping boy she crept over to the bed. There was a medium sized storage unit built into the space under mattress and she opened it, slipping her cargo inside. She then smoothed everything back down so it looked as it had done before and left as quietly as she had come.

Satisfied Sarah got ready for bed and fell asleep that night feeling that the problem had been solved. Unfortunately that proved to be untrue

* * *

Tuesday passed much like Monday had, the only exception being that Sarah made frequent trips up to her room, just in case. Everything remained as it should until she went to bed. Then she found the offending item placed exactly where it had been before and a mirror written note saying:

_That's not what you said before Sarah. No backing out now._

Sarah growled with frustration. "Leave me alone," she ground out. At first these unexplainable happenings had scared her, sent a cold shiver up her spine, now however she had moved past that point and was approaching anger at a breakneck speed.

Planning on hiding everything again she had a better idea. This time she split the set up. The board went back under the bed and the pieces were stuffed into every nook and cranny she could find. Stealthily she crept around the house after Karen and her father had gone to bed. A black pawn was dropped down behind the TV that was backed up in a corner so even she couldn't reach down and retrieve it. A white bishop was hidden under an upside down tea cup that she placed on the top shelf. A black castle was buried amongst a pile of Karen's laundry. The white King Sarah took out into the garage where she argued that Merlin could keep watch over it and the black Queen stayed with her. As her favourite piece Sarah couldn't bring herself to hide it somewhere and run the risk of never finding it again and so she placed it inside her school bag, determined to take it with her when she left in the morning.

Happy at last Sarah turned her back on the mirror and climbed into bed, sure that this time her plan would work.

* * *

It didn't. When Sarah went upstairs to bed the next evening it was waiting for her, each piece present and accounted for. Fuming, she looked to the mirror, expecting to see writing. Nothing was there. Sarah was about to relax thinking she had at least been spared that one torture when two words appeared, glittering under the light of the bulb.

_Make me._

This time Sarah didn't make the mistake of answering. Instead she swept the wooden game off of the table and into the dustbin. She then promptly went downstairs, opened the front door and walked outside. Finally she upended the entire contents of her dustbin into the larger bin outside that was due to be collected early tomorrow morning

Sarah then stormed back upstairs, ignoring the look cast in her direction by her father, and slammed the door behind her. Walking over to the wardrobe she found the largest article of clothing she owned, a long light blue dressing gown, and threw it over the mirror. Still she didn't say anything. Instead she went to the bathroom and had a long, hot shower. She re-entered her room wrapped in a towel and quickly went about her usually routine before tumbling into bed and instantly falling asleep.

* * *

By the time Thursday came around Sarah was understandably not in the best of moods. She didn't talk at all at breakfast and spent her time at school scowling unnecessarily at anyone who so much as looked at her. When she got home she went straight to her room and stubbornly refused to leave for any reason for the rest of the evening. She wasn't taking any chances.

Finally her bedtime came around and Sarah breathed a small sigh of relief. Dressing herself in her pyjamas she hurriedly popped out to use the bathroom. She couldn't have been gone more than 3 minutes. The sight that greeted her when she returned caused what little patience she had left to snap.

Sarah let out a wrathful scream and the sound rang throughout the entire house. Luckily Toby was not yet asleep. He and his parent's were all downstairs in the living room and all three paused when they heard the noise from above. Robert and Karen exchanged worried glances; they remembered enough of the 'old Sarah' to think that it was probably best to let this one slide and ignore it. She had been acting rather odd these past few days.

In a blind rage Sarah charged over to the desk, picked up the once treasured chess set and flung it across the room. Pieces went everywhere; rolling across the floor and thumping sharply against the walls. Breathing heavily Sarah glanced around at the mess. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed her dressing gown lying casually across her bed. Spinning she came almost face to face with the glowing message that had been left for her.

_Now you are just being childish._

Letting out an inarticulate growl Sarah was seriously considering taking a heavy object to the piece of reflective glass when she stopped. The white king lay at her feet. _Every player needs a King Sarah_. She remembered that had been the first communication to appear and it was true enough which gave her an idea. Stooping down she picked up the despised piece and went over to her window. She heaved the frame open and looked down once last time at the white King in her hand.

"Game, set and match," she muttered and then flung the piece as hard and as far as she could out into the night. She then brought the window back down with a forceful crash and stalked off to the bathroom for another shower.

* * *

Outside an indistinct figure emerged from the dark and crouched down to pick something off of the ground. He, for he most definitely male, fingered the object gently and then glanced up as a light went out on the first floor of the house closest to him. He smirked softly to himself, the girl's final words playing a soft tune inside his head. "Oh you think so do you Sarah?" he murmured into the black. "We'll just have to see about that." Then he vanished, leaving nothing behind except a cloud a glitter.

Oh Sarah you really are in trouble now; you broke the first rule of the game. Never start something you can't finish.

* * *

**ARGH! I KNEW writing two FanFics at once was a bad idea and now look where it got me. I not only have one piece that isn't going anywhere fast, I now have a second as well. Grrrrr stress.**

**Ok so I apologise for how long it took for me to write this update. I did warn you not to expect them too quickly. Thing is I have another piece on the go at the moment that I started over a year ago and it's SO close to being finished. I have about two chapters left to write but can I bring myself to sit down and write them? No. *Sighs* I know that's not much of an excuse but I'm the author so I guess you'll just have to put up with me. **

**On the plus side this piece isn't going to be nearly as long as that one so you won't have to wait a year...probably.**

**A/N: If this update is a bit of a mess when you read it that's because it's late and I can barely see the screen anymore so I'm coming back to clean it up a bit later, after I've slept. Sorry.**


	4. The Game Begins

Just as Sarah had hoped Friday passed completely without incident. The chess set retained its position on her desk where she had left it, the white king remaining blessedly absent, and there were no mysterious messages awaiting her when she turned in for the night. All was as it should be.

Sarah heaved a contented sigh that evening and closed her eyes in the knowledge that everything would once again return to normal. Or so she thought

* * *

The next day was spent round a friend's house. In actuality Sarah and her friend spent a good part of the day out on the town doing some unnecessary shopping but they returned to house later on for food and the chance to just be lazy. The two girls spent the day happily chatting away all of life's little problems.

When the time came for Sarah to return home she found herself somewhat reluctant to leave. It had been a long time since she had passed a day in such a manner and she found that she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. It had been an average type of day and Sarah didn't want to let the fleeting sense of normality that had crept up on her slip away. She and her friend promised to do something similar again next weekend, perhaps at Sarah's house instead.

It was dark by the time Sarah got home and after she announced herself she flopped down contentedly on a sofa in the living room. Her father glanced up at her as she entered and smiled absently before returning to his evening paper. Toby was sat on the floor at his feet gurgling quietly to himself. Listening Sarah could hear movement in the kitchen and guessed that that would probably be the best place to go and look for Karen.

Heaving herself up Sarah went in search of her stepmother. Just as she had guessed Karen was in the kitchen, stood over the sink washing up the instruments that had been used as part of the evening meal. Politely Sarah greeted her stepmother and then sat down at the kitchen table to watch her.

Eventually Karen sighed exasperatedly and dropped the plate she was cleaning back into the bowl. Resignedly she turned on her stepdaughter. "What do you want Sarah?" she asked, knowing there was a request hovering in the air between them.

"Is it ok for my friend to come over next Saturday?" Sarah replied; not at all fazed by the fact that Karen knew there was something she wanted. She was good at things like that.

"Which friend? The one that had you over today?"

Sarah nodded.

Karen considered form a moment, running through the social calendar she kept stored in her head, away from prying eyes. "I don't see why not." Sarah beamed and got up in order to leave. "There's a condition though Sarah." Karen added. The girl paused in the doorway, knowing really that it would have been too good to be true otherwise. The woman continued. "Your friend can come over during the day as long as you agree to babysit Toby that evening. Your father and I have plans."

"Done," Sarah said promptly, not giving it a second thought. As far as she was concerned it was a fair deal.

Karen raised an eyebrow at Sarah's lack of hesitation. Finally though she shrugged it off. "Ok good, if that's everything?" Sarah nodded again and walked away. "Oh Sarah," Karen called after her. "Send your father in would you? He said he'd dry up this evening."

Back in the living room Sarah was about to relay the message when she caught her father getting to his feet.

"No need," he smiled when he noticed her gaze. "I swear that woman thinks I'm deaf," he said playfully as he strolled by. "Watch out for Toby for a bit will you? There's a good girl."

Shaking her head at the weird world of parents, step-parents and adults in general Sarah dropped back into the chair she had been sitting in before. Toby was still on the floor and didn't seem to have moved from when she saw him last. She could hear him murmuring away to himself though so she knew he was fine.

For a while Sarah just watched him, apparently content to just sit and make noise. She smiled and raised her hand to try and stifle a yawn. She wondered what it was like to be that young; to be able to entertain yourself for hours on end with absolutely nothing. Or perhaps not nothing.

Frowning Sarah noticed for the first time that Toby seemed to have a small object clutched in his hands. Absently she wondered what it was.

"Toby? Hey Toby what's that you've got there?" she called softly. Apparently recognising his name Toby glanced up at her. He gave her one of those lopsided, toothy smiles that was somewhat lacking considering that as of yet he only had a handful of teeth, and then returned to whatever it was he was doing. Sarah sighed. "You're going to make me come over there aren't you?" she moaned, not having the energy to move. Toby smiled again but made no other response.

Eventually Sarah's curiosity got the better of her and she pushed herself up off of the sofa and walked over to where her little brother was seated. She crouched down next to him and grinned when he turned to look at her.

"Alright I'm here now are you going to show me what you've got?" She held out her hand expectantly. "Come on Toby please? I want to see." She pulled a face at him and he giggled happily but still wouldn't show her his prize. Sarah glanced around the room. "Ok, what about a trade?" she wondered aloud, catching sight of a certain well loved bear that had fallen down the side of an armchair. She reached for it and then held it out to Toby. "Look who I've got," she teased.

Toby's eyes went wide and he tried to grab for the bear but Sarah pulled it out of his range. His face told that her that he wasn't happy.

"You want Lancelot?" Sarah asked. It was obvious that he did. "Fine you show me what you've got and you can have him. She held out her hand again. Toby stared at her with his blue eyes and Sarah could tell that he didn't understand. "Ok let's try it this way. Here you go." She offered the bear once more to the small toddler and this time he snatched at it with both hands letting whatever it was he had been playing with fall to the ground.

Sarah smiled indulgently at the boy as he hugged the stuffed bear to his chest and then turned her attention to the mysterious object. When her eyes fell upon it she felt herself go cold. Without thinking she reached forward and picked it up, cradling it in her hand as her mouth gapped open. Sarah blinked, trying to dismiss what she was seeing but it still remained; the white king nestled silent and innocent within her palm.

Fury blinded her and swept away the cold dread. She stood and clutched at the piece in her hand so fiercely that the edges dug into her skin and caused her to wince. Completely forgetting that she was supposed to be watching over Toby she turned on her heel and fled upstairs to her bedroom. The door slammed with a resounding crash behind her and Sarah rounded on the mirror, knowing that however quiet it seemed the person in question would be watching, and listening.

"You can't do that," she growled, softly at first before raising her voice to a bellow. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" She was shaking with anger. "You can't involve Toby in this, that's not how it's done! I won him back and you can't take him! It's not fair." The last sentence was no more than a whisper as a headache was beginning to form at the back of her mind and Sarah rubbed at her temple violently. "What do you want? What do you WANT from me?"

Weary Sarah closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the door. When she opened them again her gaze fell upon the board game that she herself had left out in a show of false assurance.

"Is that it? She asked the otherwise empty room. "That's it isn't it?" Not surprisingly she received no answer. "Fine." Sarah stalked over to her vanity table and glared at the board fiercely. "You want to play?" she yelled bringing the white king down soundly with a crack of wood on wood. The set was now complete. "Then let's play!"

Well you've done it now Sarah. The game is on and you had best hope you know what you're getting yourself in for. If not then you can bet that this is only going to end in tears.

* * *

**Ok so this is a bit of a short one but since I got such a large response from my last update I thought I'd treat you all. Plus I think this is a rather appropriate place to end this chapter don't you?**

**Just to warn you in advance: I'm back at uni now and the work is piling on so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next but I'll try. **

**Good now with that out the way...you know the drill by now. Reviews mean updates. Even if you just give me a 'thumbs up' up or 'thumbs down' it would be appreciated. Of course feel free to elaborate on that...**

**Finally I would just like to say a big thank you to all of you who have reviewed already, or added this story to story alert etc etc. You have my gratitude.**

**Until then...**


	5. Or Does It?

For two whole days Sarah waited and for two whole days nothing happened. The chess set sat unmoving and seemingly innocent on her vanity. She received no messages through her mirror or any other mirror for that matter; there was no sign that anyone had ever been trying to torment her.

On the morning of the Tuesday Sarah was sat in front of her desk with her chin resting on her hand glaring at the offending board game in exasperation. Her father was running a little late this morning so she had time to spare. The fingers of her idle hand began to tap impatiently against the wooden surface, her nails clicking softly and she heaved a frustrated sigh.

"Well?" she asked at last throwing up her fists. "Are we going to play or not?" She frowned at the mirror and folded her arms across her chest. "You go to all the trouble of setting this game up and then what? Did you change your mind or something?" Sarah stood and reached for her bag, heading for the door. "This is ridiculous," she muttered. "I'm going crazy." She met her father on the stairs as he was about to come up and fetch her and together they left.

* * *

School was once again a wholly uninteresting experience and when Sarah got she immediately went upstairs so as to dump her stuff. Her plan was to head out for a while, perhaps taking Merlin with her as an excuse. She felt like she needed the air and was certainly in need of a break before she settled down to do her homework.

Barging into her room Sarah idly noticed a pile of newly ironed washing that Karen had laid on her bed for her to put away and the absence of several dirty glasses that had been stacked up on her bedside table. Absently Sarah dropped her bag next to her desk and then began to wrestle herself out of the jumper she was wearing. In the weather had been quite nice so far today and hopefully it would last until the evening.

Sarah had managed to get the jumper up around her neck when something caught her eye and she went still. Eyes peaking out over the woolly neckline she was just able to make out the faint shimmer of _something _on the surface of her mirror. Her body's instinctual reaction was to tense up and Sarah felt the small hairs on her arm swiftly stand to attention, her brain however was a step or two ahead and had already reached a suitable conclusion.

"Well it's a about time," she mumbled around the jumper. Struggling once more while she walked closer to the mirror Sarah was forced to pull the thing back over her head in order to free her arms. With that done she cautiously reached out and brushed the tips of her fingers across the cool glass.

The reaction was instantaneous. Words flickered softly into life and Sarah snorted in a most un_lady_like fashion as read them, ignoring the simultaneous chill that skittered up her spine.

_You know what they say Sarah. Ladies first_

"Gee thanks," Sarah scoffed, turning away and resuming her ongoing struggle with the recalcitrant piece of clothing. "Unfortunately there's no such thing as chivalry in chess," she stated primly. It was something she could remember her father saying to her more than once when she had complained that he never let her win. "White _always_ moves first. That's the rule."

Having a gained a victory over her jumper that lay crumpled and defeated on the floor she headed for the door. Her hand had just come into contact with the handle when she rounded on her mirror once more. The words were still there, apparently glaring back at her. Sarah smiled, feeling her first boost of confidence since this whole ordeal started. "You know..." she murmured, not really looking at anything in particular but instead staring off into the distance. "If I didn't know any better I might say that you didn't know how to play."

And with that she left.

* * *

With the strict curfew giving to Sarah by her stepmother she was forced back home in what felt like no time at all. As Karen had rightly pointed out she did have work due in for tomorrow but that didn't make it any easier for Sarah to swallow down her argument and nod agreeably.

Her father was there when she reached the front door and he smiled warmly at her as she walked up the steps. "Hello Sarah."

"Hey." She dropped down next to him on the bench and said nothing for a short while before turning to look at him curiously. "What are you doing out here?"

Her father gave her a sheepish expression. "I forgot my keys."

It was only then that Sarah noticed the briefcase propped at his feet. "Er daddy..." she began. "You do know that Karen 's inside don't you?"

"Yes I know," he remarked mildly.

When he didn't say anything further Sarah felt the need to try and prompt him to continue. "So..."

"So..." her father went on, "it's a nice evening and I didn't think there'd be any harm in sitting out here and enjoying it."

Sarah smiled. "You're afraid of what happened last time aren't you?" The last time Robert had forgotten his keys he had knocked on the door only to have it answered by banshee Karen with Toby the bawling Howler monkey in her arms. As Sarah later explained to her father Toby had been putting up a fuss all day and Karen had finally managed to send him off to sleep when there had been a knock at the door. Sarah had never seen anyone come as close to snapping as she had in that moment and the two adults had not spoken for the best part of a week, with Robert serving daily penance to try and make up for his fatal error.

Again the sheepish smile. "Maybe," her father conceded.

"Why didn't you just go around the back?" Sarah asked, suppressing another smile. "You must know where Karen hides the key, even _I _know that."

Robert opened his mouth to say something and then shut it firmly with a snap.

Sarah grinned. "Didn't think of that did you? What were you going to do, just sit here for the entire evening until Karen started to wonder where you were?"

"Alright that's enough Miss Smartpants," her father got to her feet, heaving a great sigh before reaching for his briefcase. "Come on then. You had better show me where my so called wife keeps this key."

Giggling Sarah led her father round the back of the house and then demonstrated in slow movements how she lifted up a rather garish garden gnome and shook it violently until a key fell out of a hole in the bottom.

"Think you can remember all of that?" she asked cheekily as she popped the key back inside the gnome and carefully laid him back down.

"I think can manage Sarah thank you but –," he stopped and looked at his daughter's still grinning face. "Why did you put it back? Don't we need that to –?"

"Nope," Sarah said, gleefully interrupting him while reaching for the door handle, turning it once and then releaing it as the door swung open. Her father blinked. "Karen always keeps the back door open when she's in." Her smile had now turned knowing and her expression tried for innocence even if it did fall a bit short. "She only locks it when she goes out and before she goes to bed. _Surely _you knew that daddy."

Robert swatted at her with a look that told her quite plainly to keep what she had just learned to herself on pain of death and/or grounding. Sarah batted her eye lashes and then turned on her heel a skipped away before her father could stop her singing: "Karen, Oh Karen..."

"Sarah!" Her father dropped his case and swiftly followed after her only to find himself to be too late when he entered the living room.

"What is it Sarah?" Karen asked, switching off the vacuum cleaner and looking oddly at her stepdaughter.

"Oh nothing," Sarah said, eyeing her father evilly. "I just wanted to tell you that –"

"Sarah," came a warning note from across the room.

" – daddy's home," she finished, ignoring the interruption as Karen glanced around and noticed her husband.

"There you are Robert," Karen said, crossing over to kiss his cheek. "You're a little late this evening, what kept you?"

"Nothing," Robert replied, embracing his wife and giving Sarah a withering look over her shoulder. "Just some extra paper work that's all." He caught the glint of his daughter's smirk at the small lie and gave her a meaningful glare that quickly sent her skipping on her way.

* * *

Upstairs in her room Sarah flopped down on her bed and felt herself grinning stupidly up at the ceiling. She lay there for a while letting her thoughts drift this way and that before they settled on the homework she still had to do. Sighing, Sarah pushed her body into a sitting position and glanced around for her bag. Her eyes found it lying on the floor next to her desk so she walked over and bent down to pick it up. It wasn't until her eyes were level with the wooden surface of her vanity that she noticed something different.

Slowly Sarah straightened, her bag clutched in one hand, staring down at the chess set. One of the pieces had been moved. A white pawn to the left of the board had been moved a single space forward, towards the opposing army.

With a thump Sarah sat down heavily in her chair, arms falling limply at her sides. Silently she swallowed a lump that had formed in the back of her throat and let out a long breath.

"Finally," she whispered. The game had begun.

This is what you've been waiting for Sarah; the game is now officially in play. The question is: are you still so certain of yourself or are you perhaps beginning to regret what was said?

* * *

**Oh dear oh dear oh dear. I can't honestly say I remember the last time I updated this piece. Furiously begins to check through calendar. Nope, haven't a clue. Sorry about that.**

**The good news however is that my other Fanfic is now FINSIHED! That means that I've only got this one still going so I can focus my attention in one direction. **

**I apologise that not a lot happens in this update. More was meant to happen but it ran too long so I've had to cut it short. The next update will not take nearly as long though I promise. In fact I'll start it today (or perhaps tomorrow)...see how far I get. **

**Keep a look out and please don't forget to review. I can now find out how many you read this story without reviewing so don't make me come after you lol. P**

**Until next time folks...**


	6. How Will You Fare?

That night Sarah went to bed after having sat in front of the laid out chess set for quite some time. It seemed silly to spend so much pondering over her first move but a strong part of her was adamant that she should take every precaution. She ran through so many possible scenarios in her mind from that one move that her head began to spin and at last she settled on her right hand knight and jumped him over the line of pawns.

Sarah hesitated before removing her hand but then shook her head and told herself that she was worrying too much. Another, smaller voice, in the back of her head also told her that in all probability she was giving her opponent too much credit. With that thought in mind Sarah felt a lot happier and after having done her homework she retired for the evening with a smile on her face.

* * *

When Sarah awoke the next morning the first thing she did was to check the chess board. Just as she had suspected a third piece had been moved; another pawn. Reaching for her knight she paused. Cocking her head to one side Sarah stopped to consider for a moment; she then withdrew her hand and headed for the bathroom. There was no rush she told herself. It's not like there was a time limit – not _this _time.

Forcibly pushing such thoughts away Sarah went about her morning routine as usual. She washed, dressed, had breakfast and packed her bag. Then, just before she was about to leave, she found herself stood once more in front of her mirror. She studied the scene carefully. She always hated these first stages; nothing could really happen until each player got their pieces into position and to start off with that involved a lot of shuffling backwards and forwards. She especially didn't like pawns. While Sarah would admit that they were of occasional use later on mostly they just got in the way.

Coming to a decision Sarah chose a pawn and shifted it two spaces forwards as was allowed on their first move, thus freeing space for her bishop when it was once again her turn.

Satisfied, Sarah snatched up her bag when she heard her father calling and raced out of the door.

* * *

That afternoon, after getting off of the bus Sarah went straight home rather than choosing to hang around and chat with her friends. Using Karen as her alibi she was excused and made it home in excellent time while forcing herself not to start running. Karen seemed slightly surprised when the door opened and might have been about to say something but Sarah didn't stop to find out. Instead she went straight upstairs and firmly shut her bedroom door behind her.

A third move from the white side of the board greeted her and Sarah realised that as the game got more complicated she may have to start noting down the positions of the pieces, especially if she was never going to be around to see her opponent's move. It had taken her a few seconds to recognise that there had been any change at all even at this point in the game because rather than moving a new piece the white player had shifted his original pawn a single space forward; directly into the path of her bishop.

_Oh this is too easy, _Sarah thought triumphantly. _Wait, this __**is **__too easy. _Sarah sat and thought for a while, pondering on whether or not her opponent was an idiot or a genius. What if it's a trick she wondered? Yet to start with it had seemed as if he hadn't known how to play. _But what if __**that **__was a trick? _

"Argh!" Sarah put her head in her hands and stared balefully at the chess pieces. This was getting her nowhere. Her mind was going in circles and it wasn't helping in the slightest. If this was some sort of cleverly laid scheme she couldn't tell what it was. It was probably a trap but sometimes you needed be able to 

look at something from the inside before you could understand what was going on. Sometimes the jaws of a trap had to have been sprung before you could find a way out.

_What the hell, _Sarah thought, sending her bishop across the board to take the pawn. There wasn't any immediate harm. She'd just have to make sure she kept an eye out for any jaws trying to close in around her.

* * *

So the game continued.

Everyday Sarah would wake to find a change on the board and make her move before she went to school. Everyday when she got home there would be another shift and she'd take her turn before she went to bed. The weekends were different of course. That weekend Sarah had her friend over on the Saturday just like Karen had said she could.

They hung out in Sarah's room for a bit and her friend asked about the chess set that was still in plain view on the table. Sarah's lie came quickly and easily. She said that she and her father were playing a long term game but the board had to be kept in her room because otherwise Toby would disrupt it. Yes it was a lie but at least the scenario was a plausible one and quite simple to manipulate. For example: When Robert asked Sarah the following Tuesday whether she would like to play a game she said she couldn't because she was playing long distance with her friend; they each had an identical board set up their house and swapped moves when they saw each other at school.

In truth Sarah was playing what she suspected was an extremely long distance game with someone she refused to even acknowledge let alone call her friend. The lie worked however and no one ever questioned the game that remained in mid play on her vanity.

Once when Sarah came home Karen met her at the door with an apology, saying that while she had been collecting some dirty laundry from Sarah's room she had accidently knocked the table and some of the pieces had fallen over. She had tried to straighten the game out but couldn't work out where the small carved figures went and so had left them on the side. On hearing the news Sarah had rushed upstairs to check the board, ignoring Karen's repeated words of admission and guilt.

Upon reaching her room Sarah found herself only somewhat surprised to discover that all of the pieces were exactly as she had left them. She should have known. Should have known that _HE _(a man she refused to name even in her head let alone out loud) would never allow the game to be disrupted. _What would be the fun in that? _She thought, somewhat bitter and yet at the same time somewhat thankful. Sarah hated doing things by halves. If she started a game she finished it. No matter whom she was playing against and no matter how likely it was her opponent was trying mess with her head as part of some twisted game.

Sarah was almost certain that there was something _more _than just a chess game going on here and while that scared her slightly she also knew with certainty that there was nothing she could do to stop it.

* * *

Almost a week and a half later found Sarah sitting once more in front of her mirror pondering over the situation that she had managed to get herself into. Most of her main pieces were still in play but her army of pawns had suffered a severe loss in numbers. Also she had just backed herself into a well concealed corner.

"Damn," she muttered, eyes flicking back and forth across the board so as to try and find some sort of escape. At this point she wasn't actually in a position where she might lose the game but her favourite piece, her queen, was in serious danger of being taken out of play.

The pawns of the opposition (those he had remaining) were scattered over the board in what Sarah had originally thought was an unorganised pattern; now she wasn't so sure. She still didn't have firm grasp on the other player's abilities. On waking one day she had found that a white piece had been moved incorrectly. At the time she hadn't known whether it was the honest mistake of a novice who didn't know what they were doing or the not so honest mistake of a cheat who knew exactly what they were doing. Even now she wasn't sure. She had moved the piece back to where it had been on the previous move and told her opponent to take his move again; which he had. Correctly this time.

With her brain still whirring away on the possibility of a getaway Sarah did not immediately notice the change in the surface of her mirror. It was only when the glass seemed to flex slightly that she raised her head, startled.

Ever since the game had truly begun there had been no communication between the two sides. Sarah had been careful not to think any of her thoughts out loud and apparently her enemy had chosen to do the same. It was the first time in quite a while that she had received a message and it read:

_Would you care to surrender Sarah?_

"Surrender?" she blurted out before she could stop herself. "Fat chance." Understandably angry Sarah seized a knight and with only the slightest of hesitations placed it back down on the board in a new position. The writing on the mirror faded, dissolving into nothing, then there was a pause; as if the person on the other side was considering this new shift in the game. Another shimmer heralded the arrival of a new message which surprised Sarah somewhat.

_Clever girl._

"You bet your arse I am," she muttered darkly, quite put out by the fact she had been forced to forfeit her noble knight to save her queen. Apparently _HE _hadn't thought that she would be able to work her way out of that one.

Once more the writing on the mirror disappeared only to be replaced a second or two later. _Wow, _Sarah thought, _keep this up and we might be able to class it as a conversation. _She read the glimmering note and frowned.

_Tell me, how well do you think you would fare without the help of your 'friends' Sarah?_

"What?" Now Sarah was thoroughly confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The message vanished and the mirror began to shift as if gathering shadows from what was reflected upon its surface. Then it stopped reflecting altogether and a wholly new image appeared.

It showed a chessboard and Sarah wondered where this little demonstration was going even as she started fiercely and jumped up from her chair, backing slowly away. She was just considering whether or not to close her eyes and pretend nothing was happening when the board changed. Well no, in truth the board itself remained exactly the same but the carved wooden figures didn't. They morphed strangely; some stretching, others shrinking until they settled into several different forms that Sarah found painfully familiar.

Not really wanting to but not really being able to help herself Sarah began to draw in closer and was sitting back down again before she even registered that she had moved. She blinked and tried to dispel the illusion but had little success.

Laid out before her in the mirror was not only a miniature version of herself but also Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo. They were each placed in a spot on the board replacing one of the pieces. Sarah was the queen, Hoggle stood at her side as the bishop, next to him was Didymus as the Knight and on the end was Ludo the rook. All the other pieces were normal.

The same however could not be said of the opposing side. The white army had been completely taken over by a horde of raucous goblins. They came in every shape and size with not one ordinary piece left on the field. _HE _was there of course. As expected he stood on the king's square and in his arms he held a baby dressed in white and red striped pyjamas.

"Toby!" Sarah cried, jumping to her feet within an instant and heading straight for the door. Furious but also terrified Sarah didn't stop to think and flung open the portal...only to find her father standing there with one arm raised as if about to knock while he cradled a sleeping blonde haired boy in the other.

"Sarah!" her father exclaimed, surprised. "You made me jump." He smiled indulgently. "Must be my old age. I just came up to tell you that I'll be going into work late tomorrow so you're going to have to catch the bus into school, is that ok? Sarah?"

"Huh?" Sarah glanced up sharply, tearing her eyes away from Toby. For one horrible moment she had been so sure... She snapped back to reality when she realised her father was still staring at her, a frown creeping onto his features. "Oh yeah sorry. Yeah that's fine," she assured him. "No problem. Are you..." she hesitated for a moment. "Are you putting Toby to bed?"

Robert gazed down at his son, almost as if he had forgotten he was holding him. "Oh...er yes I am. Poor little guy seems to be exhausted. He-"

"I'll do it!" Sarah interrupted quickly. Her father looked at her strangely. "I mean – I'll put him to bed if you want." Despite herself Sarah couldn't quite raise her eyes to meet those of the man standing opposite her.

"Sure," Robert said, somewhat uncertain of the way his daughter was behaving. "If you want to Sarah that would be very kind-"

"Thanks." And Sarah swiftly but gently pried her half brother out of her father's arms and disappeared without another word into the master bedroom.

"-of you," Robert finished, watching Sarah disappear and then deciding it was best not to question this sudden turn around. Sighing and shaking his head the father of two went downstairs still debating whether or not to mention any of this to his wife.

Inside the bedroom Sarah very carefully lay her sleeping brother down in his cot, making sure she didn't disturb him when she pulled back the blankets and slid him underneath. Once he was settled she bent down and retrieved Lancelot who had been abandoned on the floor at her feet. Smoothly his fur in a familiar gesture Sarah tucked him in next to Toby and then kissed the boy softly on the forehead.

"Sleep well Toby," she whispered. "Lancelot is here to protect you and I promise I won't let anything happen to you either. Never again."

And with that she tiptoed out, back to her own room.

* * *

After closing her door Sarah rounded sharply on the mirror about to let it and the person she knew to be on the other side have a piece of her mind when she stopped. A game was being played; in the mirror. The chess pieces that weren't really chess pieces at all were shifting around and as Sarah cautiously approached she 

realised that the game was in fact a re-enactment of the one that she was playing at this very moment in real life.

Hopelessly fascinated, anger forgotten, Sarah resumed her seat and watched the tiny figures hop backwards and forwards over the board. Some of the goblins fell and disappeared as did some the ordinary black pieces but Sarah and her friends remained.

That is until Sarah the queen was backed into a well concealed corner. The game seemed to pause for a moment, as if building the anticipation and then a figure finally moved. Sir Didymus. Sir Didymus the knight placed himself in harms was so as to protect the queen, his 'Lady'.

"No," Sarah whispered, horrified as eyes darted from the mirror game back to the actual one. Then the mirror game disappeared. Her own reflection returned and along with it the very last message to have been delivered.

_Tell me, how well do you think you would fare without the help of your 'friends' Sarah?_

Oh dear Sarah. It seems that this game might cost you more than you originally thought. Can you afford the price?

* * *

**Ouch! That was a nasty place to leave it – my bad.**

**To be fair though I did that in response to some of the reviews I've been getting. Love the reviews guys but it made me start to think that some of you might be disappointed with the ending I've got planned. The ending is going to be the same still but I thought I'd try and spice things up a bit for all you suspense lovers out there.**

**I'm thinking maybe one or two chapters left, certainly no more. Who wants to guess how it's all gonna end? **

**Again thank you to all of those of you who reviewed so quickly – consider this a gift if you will as a show of my thanks.**

**And lastly I apologise to ****midnight972**** because (and I will say this now) Sarah and Jareth are NOT getting married – I'm sorry but that's just not what I've got planned. But hey if you wanna do a spin off that's fine with me. **

**Later folks...**


	7. Best Two Out of Three

Sarah didn't sleep that night, she didn't even move from her position in front of her desk. At some point her brain had shut down and the hours of darkness just slipped by as the moon crawled across the sky only to be inevitably replaced by the sun.

The electronic beep of an alarm clock was what finally roused her and Sarah blinked, glancing around in a confused haze. It was bright out. When had that happened? Sarah frowned and stood, groaning at the sudden release of stiff muscles. Had she really been up all night?

"Sarah," her father's muffled voice drifted through the door. "Time to get up. Remember you're catching the bus today."

Sarah didn't reply, just stood staring at the chess board in front of her with a numb sort of despair. Didymus.

"Sarah? Sarah, are you awake?"

"Yeah," Sarah mumbled at length having to cough in order to clear her throat. "Yeah, I'm awake."

There was a pause. "Are you alright?" her father asked, sounding concerned. "You don't sound well."

The thought of pulling a sickie flashed briefly through Sarah's mind but she dismissed it just as quickly. There was no way she was going to spend her entire day in this room. She had to get out; she needed space to breathe, to think.

"I'm fine daddy. I'll be down in a minute," Sarah assured him, looking down at her rumpled clothes from yesterday and realising that she would have to change.

"Ok, if you're sure..." Robert's footsteps receded down the hall and his daughter felt herself relax by the slightest degree. This wasn't something that her father could help her with, she had to do it on her own and it would be a lot easier if she didn't have him hovering and fretting about her the whole time.

With a tremendous amount of willpower Sarah forced her current predicament to the back of her mind and set about getting ready for school. She wouldn't be able to function properly if she was constantly worrying about Didymus. Her only hope of saving him from whatever fate was due to befall him with the next play of the white court was to push out all of her emotions and think logically. Chess was all about logic and Sarah couldn't afford to let this incident throw her off of her game. She had told her father that she had learnt not to rush in blindly without thinking and that had to remain true. Rushing in would only get more of her friends in trouble and she couldn't allow that to happen. She wouldn't.

* * *

The day dragged by slowly for Sarah. Her lack of sleep had caught up with her by lunch and by the time she reached her last lesson she was so tired it felt like she needed matchsticks to prop her eyes open. She fell asleep on the bus home and would have missed her stop if her friend hadn't given her a sharp elbow in the ribs and dragged her out onto the pavement.

Sarah stumbled through the front door, mumbling incoherently in response to Karen's greetings.

"Are you alright Sarah? Your father said you didn't sound well this morning."

"Ughhhhh," Sarah groaned as she dragged herself up the stairs.

Karen pursed her lips in disapproval, she didn't approve of people, teenagers especially, using monosyllabic grunts in answer to a well worded question. Animals made noises at each, human beings were meant to be a little more civilized.

"Do you need me to get you anything?" Karen asked, carefully enunciating each word.

Sarah grunted again and shook her head, knowing that her stepmother was annoyed but not having the energy to care. She'd apologise later. There was only one thing on her mind at that moment and everything else seemed completely irrelevant. Sleep.

Not even bothering to close the door behind her Sarah collapsed on her bed, still absently clutching at the straps of her school bag, and closed her eyes. She passed out within seconds.

* * *

Sarah awoke bleary eyed a few hours later to the sound of Karen calling her down for dinner. With a heroic effort she pushed herself up into a sitting position, not having moved a single inch from where she had fallen asleep, and furrowed her brow in confusion when something soft fell into her lap. It was a blanket. Someone, probably her father, had covered her while she slept. A tiny smile cracked the corner of her mouth as she run her thumb back and forth over the patterned material.

"Sarah!" Karen's voice came again, echoing up the stairs and through her open door. "Dinner!"

"Coming," Sarah called back, jumping up hastily and making her way down into the dining room. Karen didn't like it when they didn't all sit down for dinner together. If one person was absently she usually forced everybody to wait for them before they were allowed to start eating.

Sarah scuttled over to her chair and sat down, avoiding the displeased glare she just _knew _that her stepmother was directing at her. Her father said nothing, just raised an eyebrow and then picked up his cutlery. Her wife and daughter followed suit and the meal passed in an uneasy silence, only occasionally disrupted by Toby's occupied gurgles as he tried to turn his mashed up dinner into some sort of surrealist, modern sculpture.

As soon as she was finished Sarah excused herself, dumped her plate in the sink and vanished back upstairs, claiming that she had homework to do. Sure enough she did actually have homework but that wasn't the reason Sarah beat a hasty retreat to her room. She knew what would be waiting for her there, what had probably already been waiting for her when she got home from school but she had been too tired to notice. Part of her didn't want to face it, wanted to ignore if she could be she knew that wasn't an option.

Just as she had suspected the dark knight that had been represented by the brave, noble Sir Didymus in the mirror game had been removed from the board. It sat to the side, sturdy and unharmed, but Sarah didn't trust her opponent in the slightest. He had shown her the replay of their game for a reason and because of what she had done in order to save her queen she had no doubt that Sir Didymus was suffering the consequences. _Well,_ Sarah thought to herself, _you got him into this mess. It's up to you to get him out again. _She had to keep playing, not just for herself but for her friends.

With a set jaw and resolute hand Sarah reached down and made her move, freeing her queen from danger and dancing her half way across the board. The urge to take revenge on the piece that had taken Didymus was strong but now wasn't the time. She had to play with her head, not her heart.

It would come. In time her revenge would come.

* * *

Days passed and the game continued. Communication between the two sides had ceased once more and a new, ruthless sort of intensity had settled around the seemingly innocent chequered board. Before, where Sarah had felt an odd little thrill at the thought of the renewed challenge and the opportunity to test herself once more against the king of strategy and games, now all she felt was a grim resolve. She stopped being a girl directing a cluster of little wooden figurines and became a general directing a swiftly diminishing army. Winning was everything but at the same time Sarah couldn't force herself to sacrifice her two remaining friends and did whatever was necessary to keep them out of harm's way.

And in the end it was that that proved to be her undoing.

* * *

Sarah's light was on. Robert could see it stretching out from underneath her door. Frowning, he glanced down at his watch, having to angle it in order to be able to read the face in the dim light of the hallway. Ten past one in the morning. Sarah had gone up to bed hours ago. Was she still awake or had she perhaps fallen asleep with her light on?

Stepping up he knocked quietly on the door but received no answer. Carefully he pulled the handle down and pushed, peering through the available gap and blinking in surprise when he found that yes, Sarah was still awake. She was sitting at her vanity table her head resting on her hands and her dark hair hanging down around her face.

"Sarah?" Robert whispered, mindful of the fact that both his wife and their son were sleeping. "Sarah it's late. Don't you think you should be heading off to bed?"

No reply. Sarah didn't even move. Perhaps she hadn't heard him.

Closing the door softly behind him Robert shuffled up behind his daughter and glanced down at the desk, wondering what it was that had her so enthralled. It was their old chess set, the one she had been using to play a long distance game with her friend at school.

"Oh dear," Robert murmured, surveying the remaining pieces. "Looks like your friend has you beat Sarah. Look here," he pointed at a huddle of three dark pieces gathered at one end of the board, a bishop, a rook and the queen. "You've got these three crowded in one place and you've left your king wide open. Ah, well," he said, patting her on the shoulder. "Better luck next time, eh?"

Sarah still didn't speak but her father was hardly surprised, she never had been a graceful loser. Best to just let her mope for a while; she'd bounce back soon enough.

"Don't stay up too late, will you?" Robert instructed, as he let himself back out into the hall. "I think Karen said something about taking you shopping tomorrow so don't expect a lie in. Goodnight."

The door clicked softly shut behind him and he drifted back towards his own room, sighing inwardly at his daughter's tendency towards unnecessary drama. It was a trait she got from her mother and not a very attractive one. Still, Robert hoped that she grow out of it given time. Just because she'd lost a game of chess didn't mean it was the end of the world.

* * *

Her father was right. She had lost.

Sarah stared down at the chess board, trying to work out what she had done wrong. The obvious answer was the one that her father had provided her with, she had left her king undefended but only because an unseen trap had been sprung around two of her remaining pieces. Her friends. She had unthinkingly sent her queen to their aid and by the time she had realised her mistake it was too late.

Check mate.

The game was over, she had lost and now she sat, waiting for something that she felt was going to happen even though she couldn't say exactly what it was she was expecting. Whatever it was however, she suspected she would know it when she saw it, she also suspected that she wouldn't like it one little bit.

She was right of course, on both counts.

The atmosphere of the room changed and Sarah noticed it immediately, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickle in alarm. Pressure built in her ears and her nose started to tingle making her want to sneeze. Her fingers itched and the sensations continued to grow until they stopped so suddenly it was like the silent, popping of a soap bubble.

Sarah didn't turn round. She didn't need to. She knew exactly what she would see if she did even though the mirror in front of her told her that there was no one there. Oddly, she didn't find herself in the least bit surprised that he had no reflection. She supposed she probably should have done as it wasn't something she had ever consciously considered before but her mind had entered a rather peculiar state. She felt calm, numb; like nothing could affect her.

Which was just as well really, considering the situation. Otherwise she might jumped or even let out a startled gasp when she heard the shift of material behind her and felt the caress of his breath of the back of her head.

"Check mate Sarah," he purred, his voice no different from the way she remembered it. "You lose."

Sarah could almost hear his smirk and refused to answer, refused to give him the satisfaction of having her admit defeat.

"You put up a good fight Sarah. I almost thought you might beat me but then you made a rather foolish mistake, didn't you? You threw the game and all for the sake of your _friends._"

The last word was spoken as little more than a sneer and Sarah felt a sharp stab of fear pierce her armour of indifference but she ruthlessly dismissed it. The chess game might have been over but they were still playing, every move had to be carefully thought out. No more rash mistakes.

"What have you done to them?" she asked, keeping her gaze locked on her own in the mirror and her voice as blandly neutral as possible.

"Who Sarah?" he questioned although they both knew exactly who she was referring to.

"My friends. Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus."

Two gloved hands slid into sight coming to rest on the desk either side of her body and Sarah forced herself to stay absolutely still despite the fact she was now effectively trapped. She felt something tickle against her neck and realised it must be his hair just before a hot brush of air fell against her right ear.

"Concerned Sarah?" he whispered, his lips practically brushing against her skin as Sarah came to the belated realisation that he used her name an awful lot, almost every time he spoke to her in fact, even when he had been using the mirror. There was a certain irony in it really, considering that she refused to say his. Maybe that's why he did it but now was hardly the time to ponder such things.

Keeping a forceful reign on her calm persona Sarah repeated her previous question. "What have you done to them?"

It was as if he had suddenly deflated; Sarah felt it in the expelled sigh that puffed against her as all his smirking arrogance inexplicably disappeared.

"Nothing," he admitted at length, sounding mildly dejected. "I have done nothing to them."

"What?" Sarah jumped in surprise and only just managed to stop herself from swivelling around in circle of his arms to stare at him.

"I have done nothing to your _friends, _they are perfectly safe."

"Why?" Sarah asked, thoroughly confused. She had been so sure that he meant to do something awful to them...

"I had no grounds on which to punish them," he admitted, removing his hands from their position and pulling back to a distance where Sarah felt it was safe enough to breathe again. "Our game had no terms Sarah. We made no agreement on what would be forfeit therefore there is nothing that I can rightfully claim. An amateur mistake on my part, it will not happen again."

Sarah was so deliriously happy with the knowledge that her friends would not suffer because her foolishness she did not immediately pick on the implication of what was said. Finally it clicked and Sarah frowned into the mirror, presuming he would be able to see her expression even if she couldn't see his.

"Again? What do you mean again?"

The tone of his voice changed once more and she could tell that his smirk was back. "You didn't think we were finished, did you Sarah? There's still one game left."

"What? No," Sarah snapped. "No more games, I won't play-"

"You have to Sarah; otherwise we'll never know who the winner is."

"What-what do you mean?" she asked in spite of herself. She really had to learn how to curb her curiosity.

His mouth returned to her ear and this time Sarah couldn't help her little startled jerk. "It quite simple really," he explained and she could just picture his condescending expression. "You beat me at my own game Sarah and in return I have beaten you at yours. That's one point a piece. We require a tiebreaker."

"What, you mean like best two out of three?"

"Exactly."

"And if I refuse?" Sarah asked, raising her chin in defiance.

"Then you'll never be able to prove that you're better than me."

He was taunting her, manipulating her with his words and Sarah knew it. She knew it and she still fell for it, hook, line and sinker. She was Sarah Williams and she would never back down from a challenge, never roll over and let someone beat her. Especially not _him. _It was a flaw, one she got from her mother but it was such an intrinsic part of her nature that she knew that there was no way she could ignore it.

Snapped out of her self-destructive thoughts by the sight of movement in the corner of her eye, Sarah watched in almost horrified fascination as a gloved hand reappeared, took hold of one of her own and pulled it back, just out of sight. She felt the warm press of lips against her skin and repressed a shudder that was equal parts disgust and something that felt suspiciously like excitement.

"Until next time Sarah," he whispered and then he was gone. Just like that. Sarah whipped around in her chair and found her room to be completely unoccupied. Letting out an unsteady breath she turned back to face the mirror and let her gaze drop to what remained of the chess game. Her king had been toppled and she knew that she hadn't been the one to do it so she righted him again before changing her mind and packing him away in the box. Slowly she picked up each piece in turn and stowed them away. It would be a long time before she decided to play chess once more. Again she had the thought of getting rid of the set entirely and again found that she couldn't bring herself to do it. Whatever their tiebreaker game was going to be Sarah felt one hundred percent certain that it wouldn't be chess.

Unsurprisingly Sarah found that the very last piece she reached to grab hold of was the white king, the piece that had started this whole mess. She cradled the tiny wooden figure in her hand and peered down at it while a myriad of mixed feelings jostled about inside her. Eventually the one that made itself most known, dwarfing all the others, was determination.

Sarah knew that competitive determination had been the downfall of many great men and women alike and yet she couldn't dismiss it. Didn't have that strength or the will. Instead she clutched her fingers around the pale king as a grim smile spread across her face.

"All right Goblin King," she whispered, acknowledging her opponent at last. "You're on. Make your move."

Oh, Sarah, you foolish child. You knowingly invite destruction on yourself without a care for the consequences. Well, all we can do now is wish you the best of luck. No doubt you'll need it.

* * *

**Please, please don't kill me. There is absolutely no excuse for how long it has taken me to write and post this last chapter. If there is anyone out there who was actually waiting for me to finish I offer you a quart of blood as well as my first born child (should I ever have any) as payment. That should make us even, right?**

**Anyway, it's done and before you ask, yes, this is how I always intended to end it and no, I didn't just cut it short because I couldn't be bothered to write anymore. I don't have any plans to ever write a story detailing the third game (the tiebreaker) between these two so if anyone feels inspired feel free to take up the gauntlet and let us see what you come up with.**

**Many apologies again.**

**Nightzchild**


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